2 weeks Ago
Despite failing to muster more than three points on offense in the second half, the Cleveland Browns held off the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 18-13 win. After two straight punts kicked off the second half, the Browns offense put together another promising drive. Two consecutive penalties on the Jaguars saw the Browns move deep into scoring position in three plays.
However, that is where they shot themselves in the foot with an offensive holding penalty that dug themselves into a hole they couldn't find their way out of. Deshaun Watson fired incompletions on first and second down before finding to Elijah Moore, who picked up just eight of the 20 yards needed. This meant that, for the third time, the Browns were forced to call on Dustin Hopkins.
It was a momentary win for the Jaguars, who kept it a two-score game. However, that wouldn't prove to be the big swing of momentum. That came two drives later.
Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images After a missed 43-yard field goal from Cam Little and a Browns punt, the Jaguars offense broke free. Lawrence opened the drive with a big 66-yard strike to rookie receiver Brian Thomas, before just two plays later, Travis Etienne capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run. With the Jacksonville crowd coming back to life following the quick touchdown drive, the Browns offense couldn't swing the momentum back in their favor.
A second-down sack set the Browns up for a third-and-16 and, eventually, another punt. Despite all the momentum swinging in their opponent's favor, the Browns' defense held the Jaguars to just a field goal on the ensuing drive. Jacksonville drove 83 yards in 11 plays before Little hit his 25-yard field goal, trimming the Cleveland lead to just three points.
Related: Browns WR Carted Off vs. Jaguars; Jones Returns from Cramps And while the Browns would put together another long 12-play drive that saw them once again move into scoring position, three penalties knocked them out of field goal range. Despite still clinging to a three-point lead with less than two minutes left in the game, the Browns decided to punt on fourth down.
This proved to be the game-clinching decision, as Corey Bojorquez's 39-yard punt pinned the Jaguars at their own two-yard line, setting up Alex Wright for what would be the game-winning safety sack on Lawrence. The Browns' win came despite the Browns' offense being able to prevent the Jaguars from getting the ball back following the safety. And while Jacksonville did prove threatening as they made it to the Cleveland 33-yard-line, Lawrence's last-second heave to the endzone fell incomplete.
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